If Europe and MEPs really want to end polarization, they should grant Georgia candidate status – this will remove questions, speculations and end their [the opposition’s] destructive, radical actions, the extremist opposition will have no real reason to accuse our government, – the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said in his speech at the plenary session of the Parliament.
He claimed that the priority set for Georgia to get candidate status is to end polarization, but the question is what is the opposition doing to reduce polarization.
“I want to remind everyone that the first priority and condition is to end polarization. Polarization that characterizes any democracy. Be it the USA, or any country in Europe, there is polarization everywhere. Our country cannot and will not be an exception, but we must ask the public and the opposition – what is the opposition doing to reduce polarization? To briefly remind everyone – we have only seen boycott, sabotage, obstruction by them, so that the country does not get candidate status, and we also saw destabilization, which is against the national interests of the country and people. From the very beginning, we have not agreed with the decision of the European partners. I told them personally that it was a mistake not to give Georgia candidate status in advance, like Moldova and Ukraine. Our prediction that polarization would not end, but increase, came true. We have seen destabilization attempts – last year, the June rallies, now the March rallies. Polarization has increased, parliamentarians do not participate in the work process, they did not participate in the working groups created to implement the 12 recommendations. Accordingly, our answer, which I shared with the European partners, is the following – if Europe, European parliamentarians and colleagues really want to end polarization, they should grant Georgia candidate status. This will remove questions, speculations, end their [the opposition’s] destructive, radical actions, and the extremist opposition will have no real reason to accuse our government. This is the reality”, said the Prime Minister.
